What does it mean to ask “How are you?” in a pandemic?

Update: 2021-05-19

Description

In the pandemic, answering “How are you?” isn’t as easy as saying “I’m fine.” Elena and Harv chat with linguistics professor Deborah Tannen and try to figure out if we should still ask “How are you?” when things just haven’t been great. Also featuring some of our favourite pandemic email greetings and signoffs.

For more on this question, check out our Season 2 episode “How are you?” where we explore what this question means when you’re grieving.

Connect with Deborah on Facebook: @deborah.tannen.1

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Instagram: @IQ_Podcast

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/inappropriate-questions-transcripts-listen-1.6740372

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